Islamabad summons US envoy, lodges protest

ISLAMABAD (Online) - Pakistan on Thursday summoned US Ambassador Cameron Munter to protest unilateral action carried out by US Special Forces in Abbottabad in which world most wanted terrorist Osama Bin Laden was killed. US envoy Cameron Munter was summoned to the Foreign Office in Islamabad on Thursday. Foreign Office sources have said that the US Ambassador had met with the Foreign Secretary and Director General America. The Foreign Secretary lodged a formal protest against the US not taking Pakistan into confidence over the operation. Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir made it clear to US Ambassador that Pakistan would not tolerate any such raid in future. However, US Embassy spokesman said that no protest was lodged with the Ambassador only a meeting was held at the Foreign office. TheNation Monitoring adds: Munter was reportedly told by Foreign Affairs Secretary Salman Bashir that the US operation on Pakistans soil was an attack on the countrys security and sovereignty. While he termed the death of bin Laden a success, Bashir said Pakistan should have been taken into confidence on the operation. Meanwhile, the US ambassador underlined the need of improved relations between the two countries but demanded a clarification on the Al-Qaeda leaders presence in Abbottabad. The violation of Pakistani airspace was regretted by Munter, who went on to say that the act was inevitable to capture the worlds most-wanted terrorist. Pakistans reservations, the ambassador said, would be conveyed to the US administrations.

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